Insulated wire making machine



W. E. COOK.

INSULATED WIRE MAKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC- I3, 1918.

l ,3 1 2,954. Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

i A rromvn W. E. CO0K.

INSULATED WIRE MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-13.1918.

1 ,3 1 2, 95 4 Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- INVENTOR @MQ/m i; ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE;

WILLIAM- E. COOK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

mSULATED-WIRE-MAKING mourn-E.

St. George, in the borough of Richmond, I

city of New York, county of Richmond,'and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful'Improvements inInsulated- Wire-MakingMachines, ofwhich the fol-' lowing is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof. 7

'My invention relates to insulated wire making machines and moreparticularly to a machine by means of which the absorbent base upon aconductor wire is saturated, or impregnated with the asphaltum or othercomposition for weather-proofing said base and increasing its insulatingproperties.

In the manufacture of insulated wire of the character designed to betreated in a machine made in accordance with my invention, itis theusual practice to spirally wind a plurality of plies of cotton sliver,or other like absorbent material upon the wire, and secure it in place,and hold it compacted, by means of either spirally wound confiningstrands or cords, or a woven covering of such strands or cords. Afterbeing so covered,-the absorbent covering material is saturated. orimpregnated with the asphaltum, or other similar composition, by passingit through a bath of this composition, and maintaining-it therein for asuflicient period to secure the maximum degree of absorption of thecomposition by the covering material. This is done by repeatedly passingthe covered wire about oppositely disposed multiple grooved.

sheaves, rotatably mounted in the tank containing the composition.

In machines ordinarily used for saturating or impregnating a coveredwire, there has always been a tendency'o'f the portions of the wirepassed about the sheaves, to gradually tauten in a manner to not onlyplace the arbors of the sheaves under .ex-

cessive stresses, but to interfere with the free running of the-coveredwire, and express a portion of the composition therefrom as it passedover the sheaves. Such a machine also possessed the disadvantage thatthe sheaves were permanently mounted in the tank containing the bath,thus making it difiicult to thread the covered wire Specification ofLetters I'atent.

. Patented Aug. 1 2, 1919,

Application filed December 13, 1918. Serial Ho. 263,566.

- through themachine, and also interfering with the uniform conditioningof a length of wire in the event of a necessity for shuttlng down amachine.

In a machine made in accordance with my invention, the sheaves are soconstructed as to always provide sulii'cient slack in the wireundergoing treatment, to prevent its becoming taut in a manner to placethe sheaves under abnormal stresses with the results above referred to,thus insuring free runningconditions of the machine, uniformity 1n theproduct, and a resultant increase 1n efficiency and capacity in themachine.

A further characteristic of the machine is that the sheaves may beremoved in their entirety from the tank, either for the pur-,

pose of permitting a convenient threading of the covered wirethereabout, or the removal of the wire upon the sheaves from the bath,in the event of a shut-down of the machine.

Other characteristics of the machine relate to the means for applyingpower tothe sheaves for feeding the wire, and for raising and loweringsame in relation to the tank.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter set forth and described, and moreparticularl ointed out in the claims hereto appen ed Referring to thedrawings,

Figure 1 is a side View, partly in elevation and partly in section, of amachine embodying my invention, the position of the sheaves in dthetankbeing indicated in dotted lines; an I Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof.Like reference numerals refer to like parts in both of said views.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, the asphaltum,or other composition, is contained in a tank 10, being brought to, andmaintained in, a fluid-condition by means of suitable heating devicesvasthe steam coil 11. Adjacent the opposite ends, and upon oppositesides, of the tank 10, are uprights 12, supporting a suitably reinforcedand braced superstructure 13.

The uprights 12 extend within the tank and serve as guides for thevertical slides 14, which slides respectively have. mounted therein thearbors of the oppositely disposed multiple grooved sheaves 15 and 16,about mounted in bearings 24 and 25 upon the which the covered wire 17is repeatedly passed.

While applying the asphaltum, or other composition, to the covered wire1-7, the sheaves 15 and 16- are immersed in the contents of the tank 10,being continuously rotated by a mechanism to be hereinafter described,in a manner to feed the wire through the tank'at asubstantially'uniformspeed.

In order to prevent a tautening of the wire 17, to an extent tointerfere with the actuation of said sheaves, 'or the proper saturationor impregnation of the covering for the wire, the grooves of each sheavefrom one side thereof to the other, are successively of slightly reduceddiameter, the groove of largest diameter being at the point where thewire is fed to the machine, and the groove of'smallest diameter being atthe point of the delivery of the saturated Wire from the machine. Thegrooves of one sheave are oppositely disposed to the correspondinggrooves of the other sheave, so

that there is a normal tendency of the sheaves to feed. wire into themachine at a greater rate than the wire is delivered therefrom. Thevariance in the diameter of the succeeding grooves need not be great, itbeing merely necessary that suflicient slack be created in the wire asit is passing through the tank, to compensate for a tendency ofdifferent reaches of the wire to become taut as a result of slippage ofeither sheave in relation to the portion of the wire passing thereabout,while the other sheave is exerting a longitudinal stress thereon. Thischaracteristic of the machine is of the utmost importance, since it hasbeen found in practice that many of the difliculties heretoforeconsidered inherent in a machine of this character, are obviated by thisconstruction of sheave.

The sheaves 15 and 16 each carry upon one side thereof, abeveled gear,as 18 and 19, said gears beingin mesh with gears 20 and 21 carried bythe vertical shafts 22 and 23, the lower end of said shafts beingsuitably slides 14. v

Mounted upon the superstructure 13 is a shaft 26, carrying beveled gears27 and 28 cooperating with gears 29 and 30 adapted to impart rotativemovement to the shafts 22 and 23. Idly mounted upon the shaft 26 is apower pulley 31 adapted to be connected with said shaft by means of afriction clutch 32 operatively connected with said shaft, and actuatedby means of a lever handle 33.

By this construction the sheaves 15 and 16 are simultaneously rotated inopposite directions, a construction necessitated solely from the factthat it is the practice to cross the covered wire when passing it fromone sheave to the other, in order to alternately and 35 respectively,each cross head having secured thereto a screw threaded-stem, as 36 and37. Carried by the superstructure 13 are beveled gears 38 and 39 bymeans of which, and said screw threaded stems, the

slides 14 and the sheaves 15 and 16 carried thereby, may be raised orlowered in relation to the tank 10.

Mounted upon the superstructure 13 is a shaft 40 having idly mountedthereon gears 41 and 42, the first of which is in mesh'with a gear 43carried by, and rotatable with, the pulley 31, and the latter of whichis entrained with a gear 44, also carried by, and rotatable with, thepulley 31, by means of an intermediate gear 45 for securing the desiredreversal in the direction of rotation of said shaft 40. Each of thegears 41 and 42 is adapted to be operatively connected with the shaft 40by means of suitable friction clutches 46 and47, which clutches areactuated by means of the lever handles 48 and 49. In order 'to insurethat one of said clutches is. inoperative while the other is operative,I connect the handles 48 and 49 by a link 50.

Carried by the shaft 40 are beveled gears 51 and 52 which arerespectively in mesh with the gears 38 and 39, so that when power isapplied to said shaft through the clutch 46 or 47, said gears 38 and 39will be rotated in a manner to cause the screw thread thereon tocooperatewith the screw threads upon the stems 36 and 37, to raise orlower the slides 14in relation to the tank 10. It is apparent that thethreads upon said stems '36 and 37 must be reversely pitched to securethe-desired similar movement of the slides 14 at opposite ends of themachine. To permit the raising and lowering of the slides 14, the shafts22 and 23 are slidably connected with their driving gears 29 and 3 as bymeans of a spline;

The operation of the herein described ma I chine is substantially asfollows:

While the covered wire to be treated in the machine, is ordinarilymarketed on reels, Or in different lengths, nevertheless in theoperation of the machine, succeeding lengths are connected so as topermit continuity in the run of the. machine, the connected ends beingseparated, when starting a new reel of wire. Under this condition, thethreading of the covered wire through the machine, is of infrequentoccurrence. In describing the operation of the machine, however, I willassume that the wire is to be threaded for an initial run through themachine.

When it is desired to thread the machine, the operating lever handle 48or 49 will be forced to the right 1), thus setting the clutch 46 in amanner to cause the gear 41 to transmit power to the shaft 40 from thepulley 31, and gear 43, the actuation of 5 said lever 48 or 49simultaneously releasing the clutch 47. As power is supplied to theshaft 40. it will, through the gears 51 and 52, rotate the gears 38 and39,.Which will act upon the screw threaded stems 36 and 37 in a mannerto raise the slides. 14 from within the tank 10 until the sheaves 15 and16 carried by said slides respectively, are exposed above the top ofsaid tank. When the, sheaves have been raised 'to the desired. 15height, either lever 48 or 49 is actuated to disconnect both gears 41and 42from said shaft, thus causing the sheaves to remain in this.position. With the upward movement of the slides 20 14, the shafts 22and 23 will have movement in relation to the gears 29 and 30, thusmaintaining the operative relation of the actuating means for saidsheaves 15 and 16.

The end of the covered wire 17 is then passedover the sheave 15, drawnthe length of the tank 10, and passed under and about the sheave 16, theend of the wire being repeatedly passed back and forth for the length ofthe tank, under and about said 30 sheaves alternately, so thatsucceeding reaches thereof will be crossed in the manner, and for thepurpose, a'bove referredto. In threading the covered wire through themachine, it is first passed about the groove of largest diameter andwhen the wire is completely threaded through the machine, the endthereof is brought out of the machine and passed through the usualcleaning mechanism to the rewinding mechanism, 40 which mechanisms arenot shown in the drawings. a

The covered wire having been properly threaded through the machine, thelever 48 and 49 is actuated to set the clutch 47, thus reversing thedirection of rotation of the shaft 40 and causing the slides 14, withthe sheaves 15 and 16, to descend until the said sheaves are immersed inthe composition in the tank, whereupon both clutches 46 and 47 50 arereleased. I

The clutch 32 is then actuated-by means of the lever handle 33, toconnect the shaft 26 with the power pulley 31, thus rotating the sheaves15 and 16 through the gears 27, 29 and 18, and 28, 30 and 19,respectively.

As the covered wire 17 is repeatedlypassed back and forth through thetank 10, bythe rotation of the sheaves 15 and 16, it will graduallybecome saturated or impregnated with the asphaltum, or othercomposition. In passing the wire through the tank 10, the sheaves 15 and16 both act to feed the wire. Consequently, each reach of the wire issubjected to the longitudinal stresses incidental to this feedingmovement. In the event that tendency of the wire to tauten has been'cumulative, so that even though slack-be "formed in the wire, this slackwill be gradually absorbed, necessitating stoppage of the machine toagain create slack to permit the continued operation thereof.

The tautening of the wire, in addition to developing the stresses abovereferred to, also compacts portions of the wire, or long stretchesthereof, in a manner to express the composition therefrom and causeirregularities in the product.

By forming the sheaves of a plurality of grooves of gradually decreasingdiameter, I continuously feed thewire into the machine at a sli htlyhigher speed than that at which it is de ivered therefrom, thusmaintaining constant slack in the wire,-sufiici'ent to prevent thedevelopment of such stresses, and

the resultant imperfections in the product, or possible damage to theWire. In this manner the entire length of the wire passed through themachine, is subjected to substantially the same conditions, and the machine may be continuously operated without any material variation in theproduct.

In the event of a necessity for shutting down the machine during theday, or after a days run, it is preferable to remove the covered wireupon the machine, from the asphaltum bath, thus causing all portions ofthe length of the wire to be subjected to the bath for the same intervalof time, which is measured by the interval required for any part of thewire to pass completely about both sheaves. When the machine is shutdown, either handle 48 or 49 is actuated to set the clutch 46, and thusraise the slides 14 and remove the sheaves 1-5 and 16 from the ,tank 10.When the run of the machine is resumed, the clutch 47 is actuated in themanner heretofore described, to again lower said sheaves into the bathandthus permit the completion of the. saturation of all por- 1 tions ofthe covered wire, then extending about said sheaves.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details ofconstruction shown in the accompanying drawings, it being apparent thatsuch may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

, Having described the invention, what I claim as new, and-desire tohave protected by Letters Patent, is

1. An insulated wiremaking machine embodying therein a tank for a bathof a fluid composition, and means whereby a wire covered with absorbentmaterial, is repeatedly passed back and forth through the composltion insaid tank, said means bein so constructed that a wire covered with asorbent material will be fed into the bath at a higher speed than it isdelivered therefrom, to prevent tautening of the wire. 7 v

' 2. An insulated wire covering machine embodying therein a tank for abath of a fiuid composition, and parallel multiple grooved sheavesadjacent opposite ends of forth through the composition and about saidsheaves.

3. An insulated wire coverlng machine embodying therein a tank for abath of a fluid composition, parallel multiple grooved sheaves adjacentopposite ends of the tank,

the grooves of each sheave being of gradually decreasing diameter fromone side thereof to the other, whereby a wire covered with absorbentmaterial will be fed into the bath at a higher speed than it isdelivered therefrom, to prevent tautenin of the wire,while beingrepeatedly passe back and forth through the composition and about saidsheaves, and means simultaneously rotating said sheaves.

'4. An insulated wire covering machine embodying therein a tank for abath of a fluid composition, rotatable members adjacent opposite ends ofthe machine adapted to have a wire covered with absorbent materialpassed repeatedly about same and through the composition, and meanswhereby said members and the wire thereabout, may be raised from within,or lowered into, said tank.

5. An insulated wire making machine embodying therein a tank for a bathof a fluid composition, means whereby a wire covered with absorbentmaterial, is repeatedly passed back and forth through the composition insaid tank, said means being so constructed that the feeding actionthereof will be gradually reduced toward the delivery point of themachine, to compensate for the increase of diameter of the covered wire,and means whereby said last named means maybe raised from within, orlowered into, said tank.

6. An insulated wire covering machine embodying therein a tank,standards adjacent opposite ends thereof, a superstructure carried bysaid standards, slides mount- .ed to have vertical movement along saidstandards, sheaves rotatably mounted in said slides, means whereby saidslides may have vertical movement along said standards, sheavesrotatably mounted in said slides, a screw threaded stem carried by eachof said slides, whereby said slides may be moved toward, and from, saidtank, a gearhaving screw threads cooperating with the threads upon saidstems respectively, a shaft. mounted upon said superstructure, beveledgears thereon meshing with said first named gears respectively, andmeans whereby said shaft may be rotated in either direc- 'tion to raise,or lower, said slides in relation to said tank.

S. An insulated Wile covering machine embodying therein a tank,standards adjacent opposite ends thereof, a su erstruoture carried bysaid standards, sli es mounted to have vertical movement along saidstand ards, sheaves rotatably mounted in said slides, a screw threadedstem carried by each of said slides, whereby said slides may be movedtoward, and from, said tank, a gear having screw threads cotiperatingwith. the threads upon said stems respectively, a shaft mounted uponsaid superstructure, beveled gears thereon meshing With said first namedgears respectively, a gear carried by each of said sheaves, gearscarried by said superstructure, a vertical shaft mounted in each of saidslides, and slidably connected'with one of said last named gears, a gearupon each of saidvertical shafts cotiperating with the gears upon saidsheaves, respectively, a shaft carried by said superstructureforrotating said sheaves, means loosely mounted upon said shaftwhereby-power may be applied thereto, a clutch mechanism whereby saidmeans may be operatively connected with said shaft, a plurality of gearscarried by, and rotatable with, said means for applying power to saidlast named shaft, and two gears carried by said first named shaft,

the first of which gears is in mesh with one of the gears upon saidshaft for rotating said sheaves, and the other of which is entrainedtherewithby means of an intermediate gear, and a plurality of clutchmechanisms coperating with the gears upon said first named shaft,whereby either of the gears thereon may be-operativcly connected withsaid shaft.

9. An insulated wire covering machine embodying therein a tank,standards adjacent opposite ends thereof, a superstructure carried bysaid standards, slides mounted to have vertical movement along saidstandards, sheaves rotatably mounted in said slides, a screw threadedstem carried by each of said slides, whereby said slides may be movedtoward, and from, said tank, a gear having screw threads cooperatingwith the threads upon said stems respectively, a shaft mounted upon saidsuperstructure, beveled gears thereon meshing with said first namedgears respectively, a gear carried by each of said sheaves, gearscarried by said superstructure, a" vertical shaft mounted in each ofsaid slides, and slidably connected with one of said last named gears, agear upon each of said vertical shafts cooperating with the gears uponsaid sheaves, respectively, a shaft carried by said superstructure forrotating said sheaves, means loosely mounted upon said shaft wherebypower may be app ied thereto, a clutch mechanism whereby *said means maybe operatively connected with said shaft, a plurality of gears carriedby, andro-tatable with, said means for applying power to said last namedshaft, and two gears carried by said first named shaft, the first ofwhich gears is in mesh with one of the gears upon said shaft forrotating said sheaves, and the other of which is entrained therewith bymeans of an intermediate gear, and a plurality of clutch mechanismscooperating with the gears upon said first named shaft, whereby eitherof the gears thereon may be operatively connected with said shaft, andoperative connections between said clutches, whereby when one of saidclutches is set, the other clutch will be simultaneously released.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 26th day ofNovember, 1918, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. COOK.

Witnessesz.

F. T. WENTWORTH, A. E. REN'roN.

